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Boult stars in New Zealand victory

Trent Boult was the main destroyer taking career-best figures of 6 for 40 in West Indies’ first innings and adding 4 for 40 in the second innings

New Zealand beat West Indies by an innings and 73 runs in the second Test at Wellington. The Test ended on day three on Friday (December 13), after Trent Boult led the attack to bowl West Indies out for 193 and 175. This after New Zealand had put up 441 in its first innings.

Boult, who was the main destroyer taking career-best figures of 6 for 40 in West Indies’ first innings and adding 4 for 40 in the second innings, picked up his first ten-wicket haul in Tests.

Resuming the day on 158 for 4, West Indies ended up adding only 35 more as Boult ran through the lower middle-order. Boult, who had dismissed Shivnarine Chanderpaul on the second day, took the first five wickets in the morning, including four in six deliveries, before Tim Southee wrapped up the West Indies innings with the wicket of Shannon Gabriel.

With a deficit of 248 runs, West Indies made a solid start to its second innings with Kieran Powell and Kirk Edwards, putting together 74 for the first wicket. The pair was helped by New Zealand being forced to rest both, Boult and Southee after two overs each. The two had bowled 12.5 overs in the morning session to take the final six West Indies wickets.

Powell and Edwards played Neil Wagner and Corey Anderson with ease, but when Southee returned, wickets began to tumble again. Southee dismissed both Powell (36) and Edwards (35) and Wagner then had Darren Bravo, who had rescued his team in the last Test, caught for a duck.

Samuels, who had scored 60, the top scorer in the first innings, became Southee’s third wicket.The game ended quickly after tea with Boult returning in to the attack and running through the lower middle-order again. Wagner and Anderson added to the West Indian misery with a wicket each.

Chanderpaul remained unbeaten on 31 as West Indies was bowled out for 175 from 54.5 overs.The victory was New Zealand’s first Test win in more than a year. The third Test will begin on December 19 in Hamilton.